Toy vehicle



Sept.v 18, 1934. w. F. HAFNR 1,973,923

TOY VEHICLE Filed naam-:12, 1932 Petented Sept. 1s, 1934 UNITED srA'rEs "PATENT OFFICE rroy VEHICLE William F. Hafner, Chicago, Ill., assignor to V Hafner Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill.,

a corporation of Illinois Y Applieatien peeemberiz, 1932, serial No. 646.788

s claims. (0146-48).

This invention relates to a toy vehicle and has particular reference to an arrangementy for supplying electric current to an electric head light lamp carried by the vehicle. Y

Electric head lights on various forms of toy vehicles are, of course, well-known. However, in toy vehicles such as spring motor driven locomotives, there are certain space limitations which have made it diiicult if not impossible to mount a dry battery within the vehicle for supplying current to a head lightv lamp, and cost considerations,V complexity and irailness of arrangements heretofore used have been a serious obstacle to the commercialexploitation of such battery carrying provisions as have been proposed prior to my invention. g

The object of the present invention, as indicated above, is mainly to provide a simple but effective and yet inexpensive arrangement for mounting a dry battery within the body of a toy vehicle for supplying electric current to an electric head-light or other electric device on the vehicle. i

Another object of the invention is to provide means for mounting a dry battery within the body of a toy vehicle in which provision is made for `making or breaking the electric circuit to the head light lamp or other device.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by referenceV to the following specification and the accompanying drawing in which a head light lamp battery mounting means embodying a selected form of the invention is illustrated as applied to a spring motork driven toy locomotive. I

In the drawingzp Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in section;

Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view, partly in section, showing a modified arrangement.

Referring now to the drawing, the toy locomotive illustrated includes a spring motor power plant 10 having suitably mounted thereon wheels 11-11 which may, for example, be adapted to roll on toy tracks.

In the structure shown, a deck member 12, preferably made of sheet metal stamped to the desired shape, is suitably mounted on the frame of the spring motor 10. Arhollow sheet metal body member 13 which is shaped to resemble the boiler and cab portion of a locomotive is provided on the deck member 12, and a portion of the spring motor 10 projects upwardly into the space within the boiler portion of the body 13.

A false or second deck 14 is interposed between the main deck 12 and thebody 13, and in'. this instance serves the purpose of raising the body 13 relative to the, springmotor. so as toeffect a its bottom side.

bcdy for receiving a battery or dry cell as will presently be described. The various parts may be united by tongue and opening connections or otherwise as is Well-known to those skilled inthe art.Y tThe front end of the boiler simulating portion of the body 13 is provided with a closure 15, and this closure is centrally oiset inwardly as indicated at 16 tov receive the glass bulb portion of a miniature electric lamp 17. Centrally of the inwardly offset portion 16, ther closure member 15 is provided withan opening 18 and the edge ofthe closure around the opening 18 is so distorted that itl will constitute a screw thread for v'receiving the screwethrea'ded base portion 19 of the electric lamp.

It will be understood, of course, that the body portionlS and end closure 15 just described are made of sheet metal in accordance with more br less standard practice and that these parts may constitute av conductor for' conducting electric current to the metallicv shell 19 of the electric lamp. A battery holder or support 20 is suitably mounted within the boiler portion of `the body, and in this instance, the support consists of an elongatedsheet metal tubular member 20 which may, if desired, be open as indicated at 21 along The member 20 may conveniently be secured to the boiler portion of the body by means of tubular rivets such as indicated at 22. Byv this arrangement, the battery support 20 is electrically connected to the body.

At one end, the battery support 20 is provided lwith a pair of' endwise projecting ears 23 which project through suitable openings in aninsulating material member 24, such ears being bent over the outside of the member 24 to securely anchor the insulator to the. end of the support 20. As shown in the drawing, the insulator 24 projects downwardly below the bottom side of the holder and Ya contact strip 25 is secured by means of a rivet 26 to the insulator 24. The'rivet 26 constitutes a terminal or contact member which is adapted to engage one of theterminals, in this instance the central terminal, of the dry lbattery mounted in the. support.20,and the strip 25 serves to conduct current from the battery to the center contact 27 in the base of the electric lamp. p'

The other terminal, inV this'instance the zinc casing of the dry battery 248, is adapted to be connected or grounded to the bodyof the .vehicle and thereby connected to the threaded shell portion 19 of the lamp base. The means herein disclosed for so grounding the battery 10 consists of a wire member 29 whichis bent intermediate its ends to provide alaterally disposed portion 30. The inner end portion ofthe member 29 is longitudinally and rotatably slidably mounted in a pair `withdrawal of the spring motor from the body to v t' thereby provide "the desired space within the tion for facilitating manipulation of the circuit breaker.

5. In a toy vehicle, a hollow body having an opening aording access to the interior of the body, a metallic dry cell holder within said body and accessible for the insertion and removal of a dry cell through said body opening, an insulating material member mounted on one end of said holder, a contact element carried by said insulating material member for engaging one terminal of a dry cell in said holder, means for grounding the other terminal of said dry cell, and means for holding an electric lamp with one terminal in engagement with said contact element and its other terminal electrically connected to said other dry cell terminal.

6. An electrical unit for a toy vehicle comprising an elongated, tubular metallic sleeve for receiving and supporting a dry battery, a socket mounted on one end of said sleeve for receiving the base portion of an electric lamp, said socket including a shell electrically connected to said sleeve and a central contact in the bottom end of and relatively insulated from said shell, said central contact being arranged to engage one terminal of a dry battery in said sleeve, and means associated with the other end of said sleeve for electrically connecting the other terminal of said battery to said sleeve and shell.

'7. In a toy vehicle having a body portion constituting an inclosure, an electric unit comprising ank elongated, open-ended, metallic receptacle for receiving and holding a dry cell, the latter being insertible into the receptacle throughits open end, disengageable contact means carried by said receptacle adjacent one end for electrically connecting the receptacle with one terminal of a dry cell positioned in the receptacle, said receptacle and disengageable contact means constituting a unitary structure adapted to be positioned as a unit within said inclosure-forming body part, and means for holding a miniature electric lamp and establishing electrical connection between the lamp terminals respectively with said receptacle and a terminal of the dry cell.

8. In a toyY locomotive, the combination of a body including a tubular boiler portion having an end closure on its front end and a cab portion at its rear end, means within said boiler portion and opening to the rear end of said cab portion for receiving and supporting a dry cell, said end closure having an opening for permitting insertion of the base portion of an electric lamp into said boiler for electrical connection with a dry cell in said supporting means, and means adjacent the open end of said dry cell receiving means for holding the dry cell against displacement through said open end.

WILLIAM F. HAFNER. 

